Muni has ideas for spending, but needs millions

MUNI REPORT

By Rachel Gordon, Chronicle Staff Writer

Published
4:00 am PST, Tuesday, December 7, 2010

The breakdown of one 5 Fulton bus Tuesday September 7, 2010 makes the next one crowded for riders, although it arrived in about five minutes. The 5 Fulton MUNI line is one of the busiest in San Francisco and riders are pleased with the increased service. MUNI lines across San Francisco, Calif. have increased service by 60 percent Tuesday September 7, 2010. less

The breakdown of one 5 Fulton bus Tuesday September 7, 2010 makes the next one crowded for riders, although it arrived in about five minutes. The 5 Fulton MUNI line is one of the busiest in San Francisco and ... more

Photo: Brant Ward, The Chronicle

Photo: Brant Ward, The Chronicle

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The breakdown of one 5 Fulton bus Tuesday September 7, 2010 makes the next one crowded for riders, although it arrived in about five minutes. The 5 Fulton MUNI line is one of the busiest in San Francisco and riders are pleased with the increased service. MUNI lines across San Francisco, Calif. have increased service by 60 percent Tuesday September 7, 2010. less

The breakdown of one 5 Fulton bus Tuesday September 7, 2010 makes the next one crowded for riders, although it arrived in about five minutes. The 5 Fulton MUNI line is one of the busiest in San Francisco and ... more

Photo: Brant Ward, The Chronicle

Muni has ideas for spending, but needs millions

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Eliminating bus stops, cracking down on double-parkers, raising taxes, wrapping more buses in advertising and wresting labor savings from Muni operators are among the cost-cutting and money-making options that a City Hall task force proposed to fully restore the Muni service cut earlier this year.

The report, a draft of which was widely circulated at City Hall on Monday, is long on ideas of how to spend the money to improve Muni service. What it lacks is a sure-bet financing scheme to make sure the promised service restorations happen.

"We never said it was going to be easy," Chiu said Monday. "The real work is ahead of us."

To save money, Muni cut service a historic 10 percent in May, resulting in more crowding, longer waits and shortened operating hours.

Agency officials managed to stitch together a $15 million funding plan to roll back 61 percent of the lost service in September, a package that relied on one-time revenue sources. The agency also set aside $14 million for restorations in its $781 million operating budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1.

Millions more required

But to fully restore service, and sustain it through the next fiscal year, Muni must come up with an additional $22 million.

"It goes without saying that money is tight for Muni ... but funds will come available - in this fiscal year and in subsequent years," the draft report stated.

No specific timeline detailing when the restorations would be made was offered, and none of the proposed solutions would be quick or without complications. Among them:

-- Eliminate and relocate bus stops to speed travel. Increasing Muni's average speed from 8 mph to 9 mph could save an estimated $76 million a year by reducing the number of drivers and vehicles needed per shift.

-- Allow all-door boarding to get people on the streetcars and buses faster to reduce idle time at stops. The challenge for Muni will be having sufficient enforcement to make sure the problem of fare evasion doesn't worsen. Boarding also could be speeded by converting the fleet as new stock is added to level-floor boarding so passengers wouldn't waste time climbing up and down steps.

-- Raise fines to discourage double-parkers who slow down the flow of traffic, and create more transit-only lanes.

-- Expand advertising wraps on Muni vehicles.

-- Raise taxes and fees. No specifics were proposed. But three years ago, Newsom convened a different panel to look for more money for Muni. Several ideas were debated, including imposing fees on cruise ships, car rentals and residential development projects; raising the payroll, hotel and parking taxes; and charging a premium fare for express bus service. The panel's work was shelved.

-- Secure cost savings at the bargaining table with Muni operators. Muni management, under a voter mandate with passage of Proposition G on last month's ballot, hopes to save a significant amount of money by undoing inefficient work rules that govern such areas as scheduling, route assignments and leave policy. Negotiations for a new contract are getting under way.

If Muni does get the needed money, the restorations working group said it will be important to have a service-enhancement plan ready, and laid out several options.

Plan needed

Muni simply could add back the remaining service cut in May that wasn't restored in September by expanding hours of operation and reducing the time between runs. Or, Muni could add new routes and expand limited and express service. Floated were ideas to supplement the crowded N-Judah rail line with express bus service; create express bus service between the Caltrain Station at Fourth and King streets and the Civic Center area to relieve subway demand; and provide more express and limited service on the busy Mission and Van Ness corridors.

Ultimately, the Muni governing board will decide how to proceed.

"Fixing Muni is not a destination," the working group stated in a gesture to temper expectation. "It's a journey that requires eternal vigilance on the part of the agency and city elected officials."